SPOKANE, Wash. -- Whitworth University is headed to Holland, Michigan to play Wheaton College (Ill.) in the Sectional Semifinals (Sweet 16) of the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament. The winner of Friday's game (6:00 p.m. EDT / 3:00 p.m. PDT) will take on the winner of Friday's second game between Ohio Wesleyan University and the hosts from Hope College on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. (EDT / 4:00 p.m. PDT) for a chance to advance to the NCAA Division III Final Four. Whitworth made it to this point with last Saturday's 83-75 win over Occidental College in the second round of the tournament.
Click here for Hope's NCAA Sectional website. Post Season History: Whitworth is making its second consecutive NCAA Division III tournament appearance and third overall. Last season Whitworth went to St. Louis, Missouri and defeated DePauw University (IN) in overtime in the first round before falling by two points to host Washington University in the second round. In 2003 the Pirates lost at eventual championship-game participant Gustavus Adolphus in the first round. Even though the Pirates are only making their third appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament, Whitworth is no stranger to post-season. The Pirates played in the 1996 and 1998 NAIA Division II tournaments, hosted by Northwest Nazarene College in Nampa, Idaho. In 1996 Whitworth advanced to the title game before losing in overtime to Albertson (Idaho) College. In 1998 Whitworth lost on a last-second basket to eventual champion Bethel College (Ind.) in the quarterfinals. Prior to the splitting of the NAIA into divisions in 1992, the Pirates played in the NAIA tournament in Kansas City five times. Whitworth advanced to the quarterfinals in 1952 and then suffered first-round losses in 1954, 1955, 1961 and 1991.
Award Winners: Headed to Holland for the game against Wheaton are the NWC Coach of the Year, the NWC Player of the Year along with two other Pirates recognized by the NWC. Jim Hayford was named NWC Coach of the Year for the second straight season (and third time overall). He became the first NWC coach to earn the honor in back to back years since Whitworth's Warren Friedrichs won in 1994 and 1995. Ryan Symes (Sr., F, Palo Alto, Calif.) was named NWC Player of the Year, becoming the third Whitworth player in a row to win the honor (following Bryan Williams in 2007 and Lance Pecht in 2006). Colin Willemsen (Sr., F, Moraga, Calif.) joined Symes as a member of the All-NWC First Team. Ross Nakamura (Jr., G, Moraga, Calif.) is an honorable mention honoree. Click here for the complete All-NWC team. Radio/Internet: The NCAA Sectional Semifinal on Friday will be carried live by KSBN 1230 am and Bob Castle will call the play by play. In addition to the on-air broadcast, the KSBN internet simulcast can be picked up either on the Whitworth Athletics site, or at KSBN.net by selecting the "listen now" button. Should the Pirates advance to Saturday's Sectional Final, that game will be heard live as well. Tickets: Access to reservations for Whitworth's block of general admission tickets at the DeVos Center can be made by calling 509-777-3224. All of Whitworth's seats are general admission behind the Pirate bench and cost $7 for adults / $5 for students/seniors/children. The tickets will be paid for and picked up at the DeVos Center box office on Friday. The Pirates: Whitworth has advanced to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 for the first time since leaving the NAIA for the NCAA in 1998-99. The Pirates got this far by enjoying a first round bye, then defeating Occidental College on Saturday night in the Whitworth Fieldhouse before 1,680 people.
Whitworth came back from a five-point halftime deficit to defeat Oxy 83-75. The Pirates scored 50 points in the second half against a team that came into the game allowing only 58 points per game. Ryan Symes led all players with 24 points, making 9 of 13 shots from the floor and 4 of 4 from the free throw line. David Riley (Fr., G, Palo Alto, Calif.) added 19 points by making 5 of 8 from three point range. Colin Willemsen scored 15 points (including 9 of 9 from the free throw line) and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Ross Nakamura scored all 11 of his points in the second half, and dished a game-high eight assists, to lead the comeback. The Pirates finished 20 of 20 from the free throw line in the game, including 12 of 12 in the final 1:30 of the game as Occidental made a strong effort to come back. No other NCAA Division III team has made more free throws, while shooting 100% from the charity stripe this season. Don't Foul!: Already one of the strongest free throw shooting teams in the country, Whitworth has only gotten better in the post-season. The Pirates, who have made 78.3% of their free throws this season, have made 53 out of 57 (93%) in the NWC and NCAA Tournament games. Whitworth currently has a team streak of 23 in a row. DEFENSE: Despite four new starters this season, the way the Pirates are winning should look very familiar to Whitworth fans. The Bucs have taken their usually tough defense up a notch this year, leading the NWC in both scoring defense (63.8 points per game allowed) and field goal percentage defense (41.9%). In addition, Whitworth leads the rebounding margin category (+6.5). Offense, Too: Also familiar is how efficient the Bucs have been on offense. Whitworth averages 14.7 assists per game and leads the NWC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4 assists for every turnover, 5th in the nation). The Pirates commit the fewest turnovers in the league (10.5 per game, 4th in the NCAA) as well. And when the team gets to the free throw line, the Pirates make a league-best 78.3%. Steady Symes: Ryan Symes is providing the solid leadership that was expected of the team's only returning starter and a returning First Team All-NWC selection. The 6-5 forward earned Northwest Conference Player of the Year by leading the team in scoring with an average of 19.5 points (3rd in the NWC). He adds 6.3 rebounds per game (8th in the NWC). He has added a three-point shot to his game this season, making 34% from beyond the arc. He has led the Bucs in scoring 18 times this season, thanks in large part to his NWC-leading free throw percentage (86.5%) and has been named NWC Player of the Week twice (January 21st and February 18th).
Frosh Phenom: David Riley has had a breakthrough freshman season. The 6-5 guard is third on the team in scoring (12.1 points per game). He has been deadly from three point range, and is the only player in the Northwest Conference to rank in the top five of the league stat leaders in both three-pointers made (5th, 2.62 per game) and three point percentage (4th, 43.9%). In Whitworth's second game of the season, he broke the school record for three-pointers made in a game when he was 8 for 13 in the win over Caltech. The previous record of seven in a game was shared by three players. Riley has led the Pirates in scoring four times this season. "Will"-do-it-all: One of the best sixth-men in the NWC last season, Colin Willemsen has been the do-everything player as a starter for the Pirates this year and earned First Team All-NWC honors to show for it. Willemsen leads the team and is third in the NWC in rebounding (7.8 per game) and is second in the league in offensive rebounds (2.6 per game). Willemsen is also seventh in the NWC (second on the team) in assists (3.44 per game). Finally, Willemsen leads Whitworth and is 14th in the NWC in steals (1.11 per game). All of this goes along with a strong 13.6 scoring average (second on the team). His nine double-doubles this season lead the NWC.
Ross Runs the Ship: Even before his breakthrough performance (26 points) in a win at Willamette on January 5th, Ross Nakamura had been a steadying influence as the Pirate point guard this season. A transfer from Diablo Valley JC in Concord, California, Nakamura is fifth in the NWC in assists (4.77 per game). Perhaps more telling about Nakamura's play this season, he leads the NWC and all of NCAA Division III in assist-turnover ratio (4.13 assists per turnover). His steadiness with the ball is nearly matched by his shooting ability, as he ranks 6th in the Northwest Conference in three-point percentage (43.3%) this season. Nearly Last: There is one category in which the Pirates nearly rank last in NCAA Div. III. Whitworth was the second-to-last NCAA Division III team to play a scheduled home game this season when the Bucs hosted Lewis & Clark in the Fieldhouse on January 11th. Only Lawrence College (Wis.) played its first home game later (by one day, opening on January 12th). However, the Vikings only played seven games to that point, while Whitworth played 10 games before getting to play at home. Neither Whitworth or Lawrence can complain much, however, when compared to UC Santa Cruz. Because of refurbishing of their gym, the Banana Slugs did not play a home game this season.
The Participants: Wheaton (21-7), coached by 17th-year head coach Bill Harris, finished tied for 2nd in the Collegiate Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW), considered one of the strongest basketball leagues in Division III. The Thunder received an at-large berth (pool C) into the tournament and proved the committee's judgment by defeating Lawrence (WI) 93-83 in overtime in the first round, then topping Loras (IA) 76-73 in the second round. Both games were played at Wisconsin-Whitewater. D3hoops.com All-American Kent Raymond (Jr., G) averages 23.4 points per game, while Andy Wiele (6-8, Jr., C) adds 15.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. The Thunder make 47% of their shots and average 69.8 points per game. They give up 63.3 points per contest and teams have shot 43.9% from the field against them. Whitworth leads the all-time series against Wheaton 2-1, and defeated the Thunder 70-67 in the championship game of Wheaton's tournament on November 18th of last season. Hope College (25-3) is ranked #1 in the lasted D3hoops.com top-25 poll. The Flying Dutchmen lead the nation in scoring margin - averaging 80.0 points per game and giving up 61.2. Head coach Glenn Van Wieren is in his 31st season leading Hope and become only the sixth NCAA Division III coach to reach 600 career victories this season. The Flying Dutch are all about balance this season, with all five starters averaging at least 10 points per game. Senior forward Marcus Vanderheide is the MVP of the MIAA this season and averaged 14.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while All-MIAA senior guard Tyler Wolfe adds 12.8 points and makes 46% of his three point attempts. The Flying Dutchmen received a first round bye in the NCAA Division III tournament, then hammered Capital (OH) 92-72 at home in the second round. Ohio Wesleyan (22-7) earned the North Coast Athletic Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by winning the league tournament after finishing second in the standings during the regular season. The Battling Bishops defeated Heidelberg 83-62 in the first round of the NCAA tournament, then knocked off 4th-ranked Centre College (KY) 82-65 on the road on the second round. OWU is led by a pair of 6-5 senior posts in Dustin Rudegeair and Jesse Jean. Rudegeair leads the team in scoring average (16.2 ppg) and adds 7.0 rebounds per game, while Jean leads the squad in rebounding (8.1 rpg) and adds 13.6 points per contest. Head coach Mike DeWitt is in his ninth season. The Coach: Whitworth head coach Jim Hayford became the fastest coach in Pirate history to record his 100th victory as head coach of the Bucs with a win over Whittier on November 25th of last season. Now 140-45 (.756) in his seventh season at Whitworth (177-70 overall in nine years as a head coach), Hayford is only the third coach in school history to reach the 100 win plateau. Hayford has won three NWC Coach of the Year awards at Whitworth (2003, 2007, 2008) and led the Pirates to three conference championships. In Hayford's seven seasons leading Whitworth, the Bucs have finished first or second in the final NWC standings six times. Go to Athletics Home Page > Men's Basketball > Sports Releases > |
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Click here for a complete NCAA Div. III tournament bracket
